


No Romance Allowed

by catpawz



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: Date fails, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 21:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5513720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catpawz/pseuds/catpawz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fenris attempts to show Anders just how much he cares. Kirkwall and the surrounding areas aren't all too great a place for romance, however. The two manage to endure, despite the setbacks!</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Romance Allowed

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Fenders Secret Santa Gift Exchange (quite the mouthful, haha) for [lillytuft!](http://lillytuft.tumblr.com/) Check out their tumblr!

“Anders!” Fenris burst through the clinic door, catching Anders completely off-guard. The mage practically jumped three feet in the air, nearly managing to knock over the pile of empty potion bottles he had been going through.

“F-Fenris!” Anders responded as he turned to his lover, heart pounding. “I didn’t expect you! Not that I mind, of course, but a warning might have been nice.”

“We must leave. Now,” Fenris marched across the dirt floor and grabbed Anders by the wrist, practically dragging him away from his desk. 

“Just a minute! What’s wrong? Is someone hurt?” Anders tried to pull his arm from Fenris’s grip, but the elf was stronger than his lanky body implied. He did manage to slow him down enough to get an answer before he was ripped from his clinic.

“No, everyone is fine. I’ll explain once we get there.”

“Then what is the meaning of this?” Anders demanded, but this time he was met with silence. “Fenris? At least let me close the clinic!” Fenris, always one to be helpful, slammed the clinic door shut and extinguished the lamp before continuing on with his kidnapping of Anders.

* * *

“Fenris? Could we slow down just a tad?” Anders was exhausted by this point. They had travelled all the way from Darktown to the Wounded Coast, only making one stop along the way at Fenris’s mansion. He had rushed in, leaving Anders outside to wave off curious nobles, and returned with a large basket. Anders, unable to see the contents due to a sheet covering them, asked what was inside, but was met with no answer yet again.

“I suppose,” Fenris responded, the first time he had talked since they Anders' clinic. Their hasty pace slowed to something more relaxed, almost enjoyable. Fenris continued to keep a tight grop on Anders' arm, however, always ready to start dragging him along again need be.

“Will you tell me what we’re doing out here now? Is this something for Hawke?” Hawke had an odd fascination with the Wounded Coast, and often made trips here in search of bandits to kill and moth-eaten scarves to collect… Anders doubted she would send someone else to do her dirty work for her, what with how much she loved doing it herself.

“No. And no.” Fenris stopped them for a moment, glanced around, and took a turn down a narrow path leading to the beach below. Anders glanced about the dark beach curiously. There was very little to do in the Wounded Coast without Hawke, Anders couldn’t think of a single reason why they’d come all the way out here alone.

“This will do,” Fenris finally announced, and released Anders’ wrist. Anders rubbed at his arm, trying to sooth the dull ache that had build up, while watching Fenris pull the sheet out from the basket he had brought and lay it down on the dirty sand. 

Anders cocked an eyebrow in confusion, “Fenris, I’m not quite sure what you’re-”

“Sit,” Fenris ordered, pointing to the laid out blanket. With a shrug, Anders obeyed. He was too curious as to what the elf was doing at this point to be snarky about it.

It was uncomfortable, to say the least, but Anders managed well enough. Once he was seated properly, Fenris nodded his approval and sat down himself. He didn’t take any time to find a more comfortable position, though Anders was nearly positive he was sitting on driftwood. Though he’s probably used to having a stick up his ass, Anders thought to himself.

Fenris reached for the basket and pulled it closer to himself, then began pulling out the contents. Two plates, a bowl of fruits, a plate of cheeses and bread…

“Oh Maker.” Realization hit Anders, and he couldn’t keep the smile from forming on his face, “don’t tell me you’ve prepared a p-” Before he could finish his sentence, an arrow whizzed by his ear, just barely missing him. 

“Damnit!” Fenris cursed, turning quickly to the group of bandits that had formed on the cliff above. He grabbed his sword, thankfully he always carried that massive thing around with him, and charged. Anders had no idea how they were going to get back up the narrow path leading to the bandits without being shot full of arrows, nor did he have any idea how he was going to do any of this well without his staff, but he summoned a simple spell and followed at the elf’s heels.

* * *

The battle was short and sweet, despite them being highly outnumbered. Anders and Fenris both had great amounts of experience when it came to dealing with this situations, all thanks to Hawke’s affinity for wandering Lowtown at night. 

The only casualty, beyond the bandits that is, was their picnic. By the time they returned to the beach, birds had overtaken their meal. What little they hadn’t pecked was covered in sand and seaweed. 

And, beyond that, they were both covered in blood. That alone would have ruined the romantic mood entirely.

Anders was disappointed, the food had looked good, but not at all surprised. The Wounded Coast was known for being dangerous, one could hardly expect to come out here and not be attacked once or twice. Fenris, however, seemed furious. 

He chased the birds off, nearly managing to kill one with his sword before it flew away, and groaned loudly. All his efforts, utterly ruined by a flock of birds. Anders resisted the urge to laugh, just barely, and stepped forward to comfort the elf.

“Fenris, love, it’s alright. It’s not like this could have gone any better,” Anders shrugged, looking over the mess that was their picnic.

“It would have,” Fenris argued back, “if those bandits hadn’t shown up.”

This time, Anders failed to keep his laughter in check, “what did you think would happen? That we could stay out here for hours and not be seen by a group of outlaws? You know how dangerous this place is.”

“Yes, but…” Fenris trailed off, for once at a loss for words. Anders took advantage of the situation quickly.

“Why did we come out here, anyway? We could have just eaten at your home.”

“My home is filthy, you’ve said so yourself. It would not have sufficed.”

“Sufficed? We eat at your manor all the time, what made it so suddenly unworthy?”

Fenris paused again, clearly reluctant to reveal any more information. “We should go back. We’ll leave the food.” He walked away from Anders’ side and began to collect the dishes, dumping food into the sand nearby and placing them in the basket.

“Fenris, please, tell me what you’re trying to do here,” Anders prodded, praying to whatever was out there that he’d get a clear answer to explain all this.

Fenris sighed deeply, and continued clearing the platters and organizing them in the basket. For a brief moment, Anders was disappointed to learn he would get no information from his lover, but then Fenris spoke.

“I-… Hawke gave me a book recently.”

“She gives you books all the time,” Anders cut in.

“Don’t interrupt me. This book was different,” Fenris turned away from his task for a moment to shoot Anders a displeased look. “It was a romance novel, about a man who falls in love with a woman, but they cannot marry for he is a noble and she is a commoner.”

“Never took you for the romance type, really.”

“I read what I can,” Fenris shrugged. “The point is, in this book, he… disguises himself as a peasant and attempts to woo her. He takes her to the beach for lunch, and that’s when they realize they were meant to be together, no matter the social ranks separating them. We’ve… We’ve never done anything like that.”

“Never done anything like defied society’s standards for love? Fenris, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but you’re a freed-slave covered in lyruim and I’m an apostate running a clinic in Darktown. And we’re both men.”

“Never done anything romantic,” Fenris corrected quickly, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. “We hardly do anything together, in fact. I never thought about it before, not until I read that book, but I didn’t want you to leave because I failed to provide proper romance.”

“Oh, Fenris,” Anders’ face softened at Fenris’s confession. “I wouldn’t leave you for some stupid reason like that. What you read in the book is crap anyway, I’ve never been a picnic guy. I didn’t fall for you because I thought you’d take be out to the beach, I fell for you because, well… you.”

Fenris didn’t respond, but the look on his face said enough. He appreciated Anders’ words.

“And Fenris?”

“Yes?”

Anders smiled, “I love you. Even if you nearly did get me killed.” 

Fenris looked at him, shocked and confused for a moment, before hesitantly responding, “I love you too, mage.”

They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the waves crash along the beach. It really was almost romantic… But Anders was eager to leave before another group of bandits made their way over here.

“Why don’t we finish this meal back in Kirkwall? I’m sure I have something that would work in the way of food at the clinic.” 

“I have food in Hightown,” Fenris offered. “And wine.”

“That sounds better.”


End file.
